Chapter 10
“Brothers, we have to follow the rules. The older writes first, then the second. . . Anyone who fails and breaks the chain should be punished three cups,”my drunk husband Xiao Yi was still murmuring.
A whole family of literature fans. They enjoyed playing literary games; for example, a competition in writing impromptu poems. I heard that the Father Emperor set up a cultural chamber in the west of the Capital City, inviting all the scholars to preach their academic viewpoints. The prince and the Highness of Jin’an went there quite often, with many followers in this field. They enjoyed the game of writing impromptu poems.
“Brother, you want to be Emperor Weiwen, but I don’t want to be his younger brother, the poor Cao Zijian who lost his beauty. How could Zijian compare to me?”
I was shocked by this comment, and took a deep breath to relax myself. If anyone heard this drunk blather, it would have disastrous consequences for our family. The brother he was calling should not be the prince, because he never called the prince brother at any time; instead, he called him the reverential title “Your Majesty Prince.” So the brother he spoke of should only be Xiao Gang, the Highness of Jin’an. The words could be regarded as a testimony of treason. It was of great fortune that I was the only one who heard it.
Suddenly, he burst out, “Xiao Lun, dare you call me blind? Who are you? You bold bastard!”
I sighed when I heard this. His illness must have brought him shadows. Even I myself despised him before marriage, not to mention those royal family members with ulterior motives and agendas.
I understood in that moment that he was also admiring, sometimes even a little jealous, of the position of the prince. Anyway, he lacked no political sense, battlefield strategies honed by experience, and cultural talents. But he had so many outstanding brothers, what was left for him? No matter what happened, his turn to sit would never come. The better choice was to remain with me as a good couple, enjoying our happy lives without burden. We could travel and play however we wished, wherever we wished.
The next day, when he woke up, he’d forgotten all his words from the night before. He put on a new robe and went out for a meeting with the poets.
After that, I lived a rather lonely and boring life in this big mansion. Most of the time, I stayed in my room alone, listening to the sounds of the trees shaken by wind outside.
I remembered the day I went back to see my mother; she hugged me with tears and persuaded me, saying, “Pei, you are the Concubine of the Highness now; don’t be so blunt as before. Be thoughtful before you say anything. Even though you are the formal wife, don’t expect perfection. It would be better if you brought him a first son, and then you won’t have to worry about losing your position in the future. Though I lost your father’s favor with your older brother, your father’s other wives had no chance to take my position.” ”Mom . . . ” I felt bitter when I heard this.”Daughter，I know what you are feeling . . . but that’s our fate.””Mom, I get it.””You are the concubine now; it is not easy for me to see you face to face. So . . . keep my words in mind.”Mom began to shed her tears again.
I swore in my heart that I would not step in her way in the future. I would fight for those things that belonged to me: my position, my reputation, and, my husband.
Time flew so quickly, and we entered the coldest winter. The outside world was covered by snow and ice. I could see some dried lotus branches and leaves in the pool. The endless snow made the sky gray; people found it hard to see the horizon. Though I know it was not good, I kept my habit of drinking the chrysanthemum tea （Note： In traditional Chinese medical science, the quality of chrysanthemum is cool, and it is not suitable for winter).
The ginseng soup made of the top-quality ginseng roots gifted by my mother-in-law was still hot on the tea table. But I did not want to take it.
I kept on recording the Scripture of Jingming (Vimalaki^rti) every day, until my arms and hands became sore. This behavior was to show my honesty to both my mother-in-law and the Precious Junior Concubine Ding. This scripture was Ding’s favorite one.
When I thought of them, I felt frustrated again, since my mother-in-law always kept a distance with me every time I went to greet them.
Now the maid Qinglian came to greet to me; I told a maid, “Let her go. Have the day to yourself.”
“Is there something the matter, my lady?” she asked.
“Nothing.”I sighed.
“My lady is the most honorable one; we admire you. Why are you still unhappy?”
It felt it was difficult to answer her question.”Are you worrying about the birthday gift for the Concubine Ruan?” Qinglian entered my room who knows when.
“How do you know that?”I was surprised. My mother-in-law’s birthday was near, and I truly was vexed about what kind of present to give her.
“Sister, I grew up in the palace. Unless I’m mistaken, Concubine Ruan’s birthday should be half a month away.”
“Yes, you are right! But I am still worried about the gift.”
“I have a good suggestion.”
“Then tell me, quickly.”
“My lady, our emperor recommends a frugal lifestyle. So most of the concubines enjoy vegetables instead of meats, and simply-decorated dresses instead of gold, silver, or other treasures like jades or pearls. If you want to please her with your gift, you’ll have to endure some trouble first.”
“What kind of trouble?”
“How about embroidering an image with 100 different hand-writings of the character ‘ longevity’? You can also make a pillow with 100 patterns of the character ‘happiness’. She will be moved.”